This theatre was probably built in 1923. This card in the California Index gives the name of the architect, but it’s unreadable. Somebody needed to change the ribbon in the typewriter. Is that supposed to be an “M” by any chance? J.T. Meller?

East Los Angeles is the official name of an unincorporated community. If the place ever incorporates, it would probably keep the name. Casually, the name East Los Angeles or East L.A. is also used to describe the whole region on the east side of Los Angeles, including a lot of neighborhoods within the city such as Lincoln Heights (which actually was officially called East Los Angeles when it was first developed back in the 1870s) and Boyle Heights. Officially, though, it’s just that unicorporated area between Los Angeles and Monterey Park.

OK, then I’m still arguing that it’s easier to find a theater in East LA as opposed to LA proper, given the disparity between the numbers of theaters in the two areas. Subsequently this theater should be listed in East LA.

Cinema Treasures has actually been moving in the opposite direction, eliminating various neighborhood names such as Westwood and Westchester. In any case, the way the site is set up, Los Angeles and East Los Angeles are already lumped together by the search function.

The Crystal on Whittier first shows up in the LA Times in September 1923, in one of those large Paramount ads with all the theaters listed. Before 1923 there are ads for the Crystal at 2602 S. Main, starting in 1914.

I’ve been looking into the Crystal on Main also. That address was a Premier car dealership starting in 1907. There’s one mention in 1911 of a tame African Lion on stage at the Crystal Theater but no address is given. It’s listed throughout 1914 and then doesn’t show up until 1934 when it’s a furniture auction house. If you look up the address on google maps and look at the street view, the building looks pretty old. I wonder if it’s the same building.